Switched

When Wendy Everly was six years old her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her, and eleven years later Wendy learns that her mother was right and that she is actually a changeling troll, who, at the age of seventeen, must be returned to her rightful home.

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This is one of the best books I have ever read. Amanda is a very good author and I am for sure going to read the second and third books in this series. The novel has a lot action, thrill and romance which is very interesting. It is also more of a fantasy than a real-life story, so it is interesting to view something from another perspective!

I loved this book! I can't wait to read the next one. Wendy is a teenager dealing with a lot of problems. A psychotic mother who tried to kill her, an unwillingness to have almost any foods, and no friends, until Finn Holmes. After almost being kidnapped Finn takes her away to find her real family. Unfortunately, she doesn't really enjoy her new home. Though, I really like everyone and everything in her new home and I look forward to reading more about them and it.

This book lead Hocking to eventually become a self-published millionaire, later contracted by MacMillan for just as much money. Am I surprised by this? Yeah, kind of.

Don’t get me wrong; the book is good, but I can’t quite believe its fanbase. Maybe that’s just because I haven’t read the other books in the trilogy yet.

On the downside, while there aren’t the grammatical errors that most self-published authors make frequently, there are lots and lots of telling rather than showing moments that left me feeling detached from the book. I don’t want to be told what Wendy is feeling -- I want to feel it. Also, the love story is not uncharted territory. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but the aloof, forbidden lover is done so frequently that it needs something special to make it stand out, to make it deeper. Finn and Wendy’s romance just wasn’t very compelling for that reason.

On the upside, the premise is unique. I have never heard of any other young adult novel that deals with trolls, so kudos to Hocking for making this, at least, uncharted territory. There isn’t much action until the end, and it’s hard to feel like the conflict is high-stakes when those in danger are not easy to feel sorry for (they steal indirectly to gain their wealth and don’t work at all.) However, there is the sense that the plot is building, and there are a few sympathetic characters, Wendy included.

Although there is a bit of teen drama throughout this, Wendy is realistic about her personality -- she knows her flaws and she tries to be kind to others. When it comes to her poor behaviour (part of her troll nature), she does not paint it as a reaction of her own victimization; she sees others as victims of her behaviour. That is both refreshing and admirable, especially in the YA world of frequent whiny heroines.

I feel like Hocking could have built on the troll mythology a bit more, but she succeeded in building the world of the Trylle and creating unique powers for each of them. Plus, there are characters that are on all different sides with their own motives and hindrances. There isn’t just a spectrum of good and evil, which I applaud.

The suspense is done well throughout the story, too, especially for an author who might not have had a professional editor. And that ending! Definitely not what I expected. That ending is a hook that makes you want to read the next book. I’m not giving anything away.

I would say give this a try, overall. It may not be your cup of tea if you’re tired of YA paranormal romances with angst, but I kept my mind open and found that I enjoyed this, anyhow.

Wendy Everly- a troubled teen with your average anger issues, not-so-average past, and all-together paranormal heritage. Life's never been easy, but it's about to get down-right difficult.

When Finn whisks her away from Matt and Maggie, her adopted family, after Vittra attack, she has no idea what is lying in store for her.

When I picked up this book, it started out at a much quicker pace than I was expecting, which was a nice change to other books like this. It jumped right in, and while the action in the book may not have been very great or large, it was still nice to have a little bit of it to show the threats she is facing.
Finn is a hotty. My goodness. Why oh why does he have to be a tracker? (Spoilers! From this point on!) And why oh why does she have to be a Princess? Ugh! Besides Finn, Rhys is also pretty great, even though it's a little sad to think that she stole his life without realizing it. Plus since he is a human, she's barely allowed to even talk with him which is sad (and I think he has feelings for her). Not sure about Tove. He is super powerful which makes him an ideal match for a Princess, he's attractive, goofy, and honest to a fault. I actually like him a lot. I like Finn more, but I actually all three of the boys.
Willa is a good character- she's still a little snotty but she is kind and an actual friend.
Aurora is going to be a back-stabber, I can already feel it, though she may not be so severe with her son being a potential marriage arrangement for Wendy.
I really, really want to know what abilities Wendy has besides persuasion!
Elora is kind of an enigma. I want to like her and I see her reasons for why she is the way she is, but it's a little hard to like her when she is pretty darn cold and unlikable. I hope that changes by the next book.

Teen Picks: Switched, by
Amanda Hocking
Finding out that you aren’t actually related to your family is life changing, but it can be even harder if you find out that you’re a princess…that is from a completely different world.

Summary: Wendy Everly’s mother was always convinced she was a monster. Wendy had always wondered why she had never fit in with her family, and why she looked so different. Soon, she would find the answers to all her questions. The slightly suspicious and mysterious classmate Finn Holmes becomes more than just a friend, and takes her on a journey to a magical world that will change her life forever. Wendy will figure out who she really is, (or what she is) and where she came from. Her identity will no longer remain a mystery.

Stars: I would give this book 9/10 stars! It had a great plot and details that made visualizing the story easy.

Why: I started reading this book because of the compelling caption on the front “what if your entire life was built on a lie?’’ and because i love books about people who have powers.

Gut Reaction: Interesting story, love the characters.

What i loved: Along with the detailed descriptions of everything that make you feel what the main character does, i loved the cover! Definitely one of the most beautiful covers i’ve seen so far.

Good book. It's "Princess Diaries" meets "The Iron Fey". The first book is the worst book of the Trylle Trilogy (at 3.5 Stars), but it was still an engaging YA story that made me want to find out what happened next. "Torn" (#2) & "Ascend" (#3) both get a 5 Star rating. I read the eBook version of the series and found the bonus short stories, especially "The Vittra Attacks" gave me a great insight into the supporting characters. A great series for those who enjoy the "thrown into a world they never could have imagined" genre of fantasy.

QT3dot14
Aug 29, 2013

I loved the book , it was very interesting and very descriptive and detailed. Had me thinking about how Finn would look like in real life , must be a breathtaking
gentleman.

Quotes

_"You're telling me that I'm a troll? Nothing about me resembled a pink haired doll with a jewel in its stomach or a creepy little monster that lived under a bridge."_Switched A TRYLLE novel_ Amanda Hocking

VeganGreen
Aug 09, 2012

This is The Princess Diaries meets Twilight. -- New York Times Book Review